Tuesday, 23 December 2014

Jewelry has the unique peculiarity of having been created with
the distinct purpose of adorning the body. Yes, there are items which
have dual purposes, like watches (and medical or military identification
tags), and there are items like belts and buckles which would
technically be known as accessories, but items of jewelry are there
expressly to be enjoyed for their decorative properties. Also, the more
ornate such a piece of jewelry is, the more it can be seen as a symbol
of the wearer's wealth or status.

Faster is not always better
It
is no wonder that people throughout the ages have been prepared to
spend large amounts of money on items of jewelry that are unique. The
problem, however, arises with the mass manufacturing of jewelry by using
machinery to expedite the process. The result of such a process is
objects of jewelry which, although still expensive because of the
materials that have been used, like gold and silver set with precious
gemstones, are no longer one of a kind. Why would anyone be prepared to
pay top dollar prices for items which they might see adorning the hands
or necks of someone else as well?

Where did it all begin?
Traditionally,
all jewelry was handmade. The earliest adornments were made from shells
or stones and pieces of bark. Later, as people became skilled at
creating their own beads, these were extensively used as ornamentations
for necks and arms. In time the craft of jewelry making was
usually undertaken by gold or silver smiths, who often gained their
expertise at the hands of a father or other kinsman who was skilled at
this occupation and would pass on many of his 'trade secrets' to be kept
and passed on in the family.

Handmade says 'Made with Care'
The
most exciting thing about handmade jewelry is that it is unique. No
craftsman worth his salt is going to turn out pieces that are the same.
For this reason then, one is prepared to spend more. In addition, these
distinctive items are generally more hard-wearing than those that are
mass produced. A jeweler who makes items of jewelry individually is one
who loves his craft and this devotion will be evident each piece. If
you purchase handmade jewelry you will almost always be getting better
quality items than those you buy over the counter. You might also be
supporting the work of an emerging artist, and who knows, the piece you
buy may become very valuable as that artist gains popularity.

Monday, 15 December 2014

It is Christmas time! Your kids must be happy in that situation.
Even, that day is usually followed with the holiday season. So, it is a
good idea if you as parents can do activity together with your kids in
celebrating Christmas. Here, age-appropriate Christmas crafts can be
your right option in which your kids enjoy making.

Crafts for
children in this special day are plentiful. Christmas trees, candy
canes, ornaments, Santa and reindeer create a festive atmosphere at this
time. Many of these symbols of the holiday season make fun craft ideas
for kids. Getting children to create presents for their friends
and family members in this special day is a definite means to keep them
happily busy. And a framed art can be one of craft ideas for kids that
you can choose.

Any kids can sketch. Hand them a thick white
paper, some pencils, crayons, or watercolors and let them draw a
Christmas picture. Once the work of art is finished, have the picture
framed efficiently in a classy looking frame and let them offer it to
their grandpa or grandma as present in this special day. You could let
the children make picture books or activity books as presents to those
they adore.

Christmas is a time to celebrate the spirit of giving. Bring joy to someone you love with these festive handmade crafts! If you don't have time to create crafts you can visit our website www.misi.co.uk and find a perfect gift for your loved ones!

Thursday, 4 December 2014

Children really enjoy the holiday season and they love to be
creative. You can get the whole family involved in making various types
of Christmas crafts. The time you spend together making them will offer a
quality time for you all to bond. Children will also take plenty of
pride in the Christmas crafts they have completed to decorate the home
and to share with others.

If you have
particular Christmas crafts in mind to complete you will have a list of
the supplies you need to purchase. However, children are very creative
so you may want to just purchase some basic supplies including glue,
colored paper, and scissors. You will be amazed that the wonderful
Christmas crafts they are able to design with these common items.

It
can be fun to allow the children to go shopping with you for the
supplies to make Christmas crafts. They may want to get some ribbon,
glitter, stickers, and markers to make the Christmas crafts. Some of the
items they will select may be messy to work with so make sure you take
that into consideration.

Find a central location at home where the
children can work on their Christmas crafts. You will want to provide a
large table so they have plenty of room to work. In order to protect
your tables and the floors though you should spread out an old
tablecloth or even some old newspapers on them. This will also help you
to clean up the work area quickly after they have completed their
Christmas crafts.

Common Christmas Crafts for Children to MakeChildren
of all ages will enjoy making Christmas crafts and there are some
really basic ones that you can help them with. Paper snowflakes are very
fun to make and each one will be different from the next. You can hang
them from the ceiling with a light colored thread or tape them to the
inside of the window in the front of your home.

Snowmen are a
popular type of Christmas craft as well. All you will need to complete
this project is construction paper, glue, and cotton balls. A black
marker can be used to make a face on the snowman or small pieces of
construction paper can be used to complete it.

Monday, 1 December 2014

Christmas is the lovely time when we want to share our happiness with
our loved ones. When it comes to celebrating Christmas, the first thing
that comes in our mind is the most wanted gifts. In the Christmas
season, all of us want to express our love for our friends and family by
exchanging gifts.

Though, markets and malls are full of different
gifts in the holiday season, but it is quite difficult to choose one
when it comes to women's Christmas gifts. Women always want something
different and same applies to the Christmas gifts. If you are trying to
find some ideas for unusual Christmas gifts then here are some
suggestions for you.

Make something PersonalizedIf
you want to give some unusual Christmas gifts, there is no better way
than personalizing them. You can personalize the gift with little
creativity and imagination. Whatever gift you have bought like shirt,
mug, cap, clutch etc., you can make it unique by writing a personalized
message or you can print some cute memorable pictures on these items.
Women love being treated specially and this is surely the perfect way to
make them feel special.

Create something with your handsOne
of the great ideas for women's Christmas gifts is making something
special for them with your own hands. Rather than just shop around, you
can make her feel special by giving a totally unique Christmas gift
which is based on your own creativity. You can make a handmade bracelet
for her or can try to make a wooden jewelry box at your own. Whatever
your talent is, a hand-crafted gift will surely express your warm
feelings on Christmas in more effective way.

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

It is Christmas time! Your kids must be happy in that situation.
Even, that day is usually followed with the holiday season. So, it is
a good idea if you as parents can do activity together with your kids
in celebrating Christmas. Here, age-appropriate Christmas crafts can
be your right option in which your kids enjoy making.

Crafts for children in this special day are plentiful. Christmas
trees, candy canes, ornaments, Santa and reindeer create a festive
atmosphere at this time. Many of these symbols of the holiday season
make fun craft ideas for kids.

Getting children to create presents for their friends and family
members in this special day is a definite means to keep them happily
busy. And a framed art can be one of craft ideas for kids that you
can choose.

Any kids can sketch. Hand them a thick white paper, some pencils,
crayons, or watercolors and let them draw a Christmas picture. Once
the work of art is finished, have the picture framed efficiently in a
classy looking frame and let them offer it to their grandpa or
grandma as present in this special day. You could let the children
make picture books or activity books as presents to those they adore.

Christmas is a time to celebrate the spirit of giving. Bring joy
to someone you love with these festive handmade crafts!

Friday, 21 November 2014

One of the easiest ways of doing away with the free time and also
earning fame, recognition and money is to make crafts; of course if you
have the prerequisite skills for making crafts. But then, making crafts
isn't that difficult. With the many courses available on the internet
as well as the guide books, you can create some beautiful crafts and
sell them or gift them to your loved ones to attain that warmth and
respect. One of the most famous crafts is the leather crafts. These can
be given as gifts to the loved ones and believe it or not, they remain
to be one of the most treasured gifts of all.

Most of the times
people get confused regarding what to gift someone special on their
birthdays or anniversaries, well handmade leather crafts are one of the
most treasured and beautiful gift items to be given to people you love.
Leather is a royal thing and many of the celebrities also flaunt their
leather accessories, be it their bags, purses, shoes, leather pants,
etc. But then, it's not only celebrities who love leather, even the
common people are in love with leather. Leather is a royal and classy
object and using leather crafts gives an extra zing to one's
personality. These handmade leather crafts can be carried to any
occasion like cocktail parties, birthday parties, etc with elan.

Another
factor which makes these handmade leather crafts special is the fact
that they have been created by hand and someone has put their heart and
soul into creating these products. One can achieve a lot of finesse and
beautiful designs by using hands rather than machines for making these
crafts. These handmade leather crafts look beautiful when gifted and
they also are durable unlike the ones bought from the market. Thus,
indeed handmade crafts are one of the most treasured gifts.

Tuesday, 18 November 2014

Okay so this year you want to have a "hand made Christmas" but
you need ideas for inexpensive Christmas crafts that will fit into your
time and money budget. Well read on and I'll give you a head start over
all the other elves out there.

Here are 5 holiday crafts that are easy to make and a joy to give to friends, relatives, and neighbors.1.Hand Bound Christmas Cookbook
- Hand stamp heavy (colored) construction cardboard and use ribbon or
lace to wrap that around recipes that you print on pre-punched paper
using your computer/printer.

2.Hand Stamped Christmas Cards
- Use your holiday decorative stamping tools to create personalized
Christmas cards that are guaranteed to stay on the mantle longer than
the ones from the store.

3. Framed Children's Artwork
- If your children don't end up making any Christmas related artwork at
school this year, help them make it at home and then purchase some
plain picture frames on sale at a crafts store, and (optionally) custom
decorate the frames if you think they might further enhance your child's
art.

5.Favorite Christmas Quote
- Embroider your favorite Christmas/inspirational quote on a
handkerchief or kitchen towel and make a gift that will become a
conversation piece and is bound to become something that is passed down
from generation to generation.

If you want to see how our users did it visit www.misi.co.uk, there is plenty of Christmas gifts to be found there :)

Friday, 14 November 2014

Crafting handmade
chocolates and sweets is a good idea if you want to give gifts or
make something special for your family. Tired of your usual desserts,
then this is a good alternative to your average candy or chocolate
bars!

1. When making
handmade chocolates, you will have to learn how to select your
ingredients. You can drop by at a local chocolate supply store and
purchase the items by bulk. This way, you get more at half the price
compared to the pure chocolates sold at grocery stores. If you want
to make handmade sweets, like candies, the same thing will apply when
selecting your ingredients. To make things easier, know what to make
first. Once you have a clear idea; that is when you can start making
purchases. Chances are, if it's your first time in making handmade
sweets, you have a tendency to horde supplies and once you get home,
you are surrounded with supplies and ingredients, you are not sure if
you'll use them, anyway. Make a list first to make things organized.

2. If you plan to
make handmade sweets made from chocolates, the kitchen tools that
you'll need are: double boiler, candy thermometer, wooden or rubber
spatula, and bowls. If you plan to put some nuts, oatmeal, or fruits
in your handmade sweets, you can use a food processor or a mortar and
pestle to crush and grind these ingredients.

3. Once you are
ready with your ingredients, melt the chocolate in the double boiler.
If you want to make candies, you will need to do the same process
with the option of using a double boiler. But for chocolates, it
would be best to use a double boiler to avoid having the ingredients
get burned. Slowly stir the ingredients at low fire.

4. If you are done
melting your handmade chocolate, it is optional if you want to put
the other ingredients in. But if you do, pour the ingredients one at
a time and slowly stir to mix all the items in the double boiler.

5. Some would put
liquor or fruit or herb essences in the mix. If you do, do it at the
last part of the process and stir the mixture well. Now that you are
done with the mixing, put your double boiler in a different surface
and let it cool first. Once the mixture has cooled, pour them in fun
containers or molds. Take note, for the cooling process; don't let
the chocolates stand for a long time. The same thing when it goes to
other handmade sweets. You can also put your chocolates in an
airtight container and put it in the fridge for later consumption.If you are looking for handmade chocolates and sweets than visit www.misi.co.uk and enjoy our selection :)

Saturday, 19 July 2014

Choosing the handmade approach to your wedding doesn’t just
mean you save some money, it also gives you a one-of-a-kind experience that
completely embodies your style and taste. This is something you cannot get with
commercial wedding products, which are mass-produced for thousands of brides. In fact, you can have a unique wedding by
simply choosing the handmade approach

The Outfits

For brides who want to walk down the aisle in something that
cannot be found in the bridal magazine, consider a vintage style wedding dress and or a beautiful handmade tiara. You can also go with Vintage Gunne Sax dresses, for example
have a boho or prairie style to them that is perfect for rustic, outdoorsy type
weddings. And their price tag ranges anywhere from 50 to 300 pounds, which is
much less than most modern day wedding gowns.

Tuesday, 3 June 2014

Dads can be notoriously hard to buy for – especially
when you’d rather be giving him something personal instead. These five
easy bakes for dad can be quickly customised with his favourite toppings
or ingredients. Plus, they’re all super simple to do – and perfect for
baking beginners!

1. Shortbread

Shortbread is a good bake to start with if your new to the world of
baking – you don’t need a lot of ingredients or equipment to make
something that both tastes and looks delicious!

2. Bread

This white loaf would make a great breakfast-in-bed treat. Cut it
into thick slices with a healthy spread of butter and jam, for a
delicious Father’s Day treat!

3. Flapjack

Flapjack is a perennial bake for dad! This super simple, super sticky recipe is sure to become one of your family favourites.

4. Cookies

Cookies are a great bake for the kids to help with (and little
fingers make light work!). All you need for these hand-crafted cookies
are some cutters and Ready-Roll Icing!

Friday, 30 May 2014

Think
like if you have opened a brick and mortar store on a street at your hometown!
It is no difference!

A traditional store, requires some work from your side. First you decorate your
store, to make it attractive to the buyers- same is true for your online store!
A nice Background, a nice AVATAR, an attractive shop banner- all the above
contribute to have a nice online store!

You make a nice store front with a beautifully decorated window, which will
catch the eye of the people on the street and make them to walk in- same on
your online store! You should have lots of photos! This is your window- this is
what the potential buyer will see! This is what will attract him/her to start
buying.

Imagine that you open your brick and mortar shop, and you place on your window
only one or two items! How it will look like? And imagine that this items does
not show well, the light is bad, they are small and far away from the window
front. Same is true on your online store! You must have a lot of pictures, nice
pictures, proper light, proper size, for the potential buyers to be attracted.

However, do you stop there? Is this all you will do for your traditional store?
Of course not! You will not open your store, sit inside, and wait for the
customers to walk in! Instead, you will start advertising it! You will go
around and spread the word that you have a store! First in your own
neighborhood, and then you will tell your friends, siblings, and everybody you
will meet out there! You will go to gatherings, family meetings, classmate
reunions, exhibitions, fairs, and you will promote your store!

Same
for your online store. Only here, online, you will have the Social Media and
the Search Engines to work with. However, believe me; it is no different from
the real life out there.

You will meet people online, and you will bring them on your online store! In
addition, when you will bring them, make sure that they will like your store
(see above).

Be natural and consistent, these are the great tools to succeed online (as it
is to succeed off line)

Here on MyMisi, we publish several tips and advice to help you. Read them, and
try to do your best. Success is not happening instantly, needs time and effort.

The only difference between your traditional store and your online one, is that
online you can meet far more people than off line. Follow some simple rules,
for your virtual store, exactly as you would have done on your brick and mortar
store, and you will be amazed from the success.

We are here to help. Leave a comment, ask a question, and we will come back to
you asap.

On our previous posts, we suggested that you promote your
store on social media. This is the one most important thing to do besides
having nice items in your store.

On this post we will try to be more specific with what exactly
should you do when you start promoting your store on Social Media. As social
media platforms are so many, we will examine each one separately and we will
start with the most popular one, Facebook.

On this post, we will give you specific instructions and
ideas of what to post, when to post and some insights of what Facebook can do
for you, in order to increase your sales.

We assume that you already have a Facebook page related to
your store on MISI or MYMISI. We designed these tips to advance your Store
Facebook page, however, many of them can also use for your personal Facebook
page.

The next time you are at any social gathering, party, lunch
or dinner with friends, pay attention to who people are most engaged with. Why
are people so engaged with a particular person? Inevitably, you will realize
that the people who are the most engaging are 1) the most interesting, 2) the
most attractive, or 3) the most engaged themselves.

Voila! You now know everything you need to know about
increasing the engagement between your customers and your Store on Facebook.

Well, there is a bit more to it. What is interesting to your
audience? How do you make yourself attractive through social media; and when,
how, and how often should you engage? These three qualities result in the highest
engagement and the most interaction, between people regardless of whether the
venue is real or virtual.

Facebook introduced EdgeRank, an algorithm that determines
what shows up in any given Facebook user’s news feed. The EdgeRank algorithm,
uses three components, each referred to as an “edge” (hence the name), to guide
what appears in users’ news feeds. These are affinity, weight, and time decay (or timeliness).

Affinity is
determined by the amount of interaction between any two given Facebook users.
The more your interact with a fan, the more likely your posts will show up in
that fan’s newsfeed.

Weight refers to
the type of post. A share, for example, carries more weight than a comment, a comment
is weightier than a Like, and a Like ‘weighs’ more than a click on the post.

Time Decay refers
to post timeliness. Like any piece
of news, the older it becomes, the less relevant and important it is, thus less
likely to appear in newsfeeds,

The lower your store’s EdgeRank is in a user’s Facebook
account, the less engaged your store would be with that user, and the fewer
opportunities you will have to engage. In fact, on average, only about 4 to 17
percent of a business page’s posts show up in a fan’s news feed. With that, let
us look at how to boost your edgerank.

A lot of the content people post on their Facebook page is
personal, everything from “My baby took its first steps today” to “I just had
the worst piece of pizza ever.” It is the kinds of things friends, family, and
co-workers share with each other because that is what friends are for -- to
share the highs and lows of your life.

However, this kind of post it is not good for business. They
will not drive your sales up!

Just how personal you get with your Facebook content depends
on your business. Little League scores, church socials, community gatherings,
are prime examples of great, personal content to share on your Facebook page if
yours is the type of business to which such things are suited. A related event
to your business, a major event on the news, can also be a start of an
interesting conversation. Avoid Politics, and Sports.

Sharing personal content makes your fan base feel connected to
your store, it makes you more human. People respond to that. Why not encourage
personal sharing from your fans too? Ask people to share something about
themselves in response to one of your posts.

Visual content

Visual content helps draw in and engage Facebook users. Facebook’s
research shows that photo albums, pictures, and videos increase engagement by
180 percent, 120 percent, and 100 percent, respectively, more than content without
visuals. Meanwhile asking Fans to write captions on your photos increases
engagement 5.5 times more than a standard post. However, please, do not just
ask people to like the image of your masterpiece, it is not the right approach.

Even something as simple as a smiley face emoticon in your
post can increase Likes by 57 percent, comments by 33 percent, and shares by 33
percent over posts without them. Emotions engage people even if they are just a
digital doodle.

Use pictures in your posts to attract the reader’s eye,
then, surround the picture with clever, compelling content to keep them
reading. Relate your images to your product, and drive them your store.

Be funny

Comedy helps a store connect to their audience. Store owners
that make people smile after a long day at the office, or better yet, laugh,
often have high levels of engagement. Humorous images, comics, and memes are
highly shareable content, as Facebook users want to share these images with
your friends, thus increasing your reach.

Humor can be simple, like a photo of a cute baby with a
funny caption, or a dog chasing his tail.

Be responsive

Just as people expect great customer service from you
in-store or on the phone, they look to your store to do the same on Facebook.

Believe it or not, 95% of stores do not respond to comments made
by Facebook users on Facebook. By responding to comments and questions promptly
on Facebook, you demonstrate your own high level of engagement and many of your
fans will be pleased. Why wouldn’t you take a minute to respond to your fans?
It is an easy way to increase engagement and create lasting relationships. If
fans bring up an issue with your store, try and respond to them quickly, in a
polite manner. Address their issues publicly, but if a particular matter
requires more personal help, have them email you or call you with their
concerns.

POST AT OPTIMAL TIMES

If a post falls in the Facebook forest and no one is around
to see it, does it make an impact? No. Take your type of business and your
audience demographic into consideration when planning the timing for your
Facebook posts. If your audience is most likely online searching for your
product in the evening, will a post at 10am generate a lot of likes, comments
and shares? Probably not. Because so much content is posted on Facebook each
day, you want your posts to be more relevant to your audience when you post
them, not eight hours later.

You may also see higher engagement during lunchtime, and close-to-close
time, as people tend to look for entertainment. Retail businesses may see an
increase in engagement on weekends when people have down time to do some online
shopping. Do some research and learn when your audience is online, both the
hours of the day and days of the week.

CONSIDER FREQUENCY

Post new and relevant content on Facebook to keep people
interested. The average half-life of a Facebook post is about three hours. Because
of this, it is a good practice to post more than once a day to get the most
engagement out of your posts. When your post is still part of the news feed or
is a highlighted story still receiving a steady flow of engagement, it is
considered “alive”.

DISCUSS CURRENT
EVENTS

Stay involved in the current conversations. If a holiday is around
the corner, odds are your fans are involved and talking about. Post an image of
something you are thankful for on Thanksgiving, or a romantic image on
Valentines day. Your fans are more likely to share something if it is relevant
and entertaining.

This does not stop at holidays. If something big is
happening on the news, incorporate it into your marketing campaigns. After a
tragedy, post your condolences. Not only does this get your fans involved, it
gives your store a human face, making fans feel more connected to your store.

ASK QUESTIONS

Try asking a question on your Facebook page so that your
Fans are inclined to answer questions. Here are some tips for asking questions:

Questions that ask “where,” “when,” or “should” are more
successful at engaging Fans than asking “why” -- which seems to generate the
lowest amount of Likes or comments.

Asking for feedback (such as “Tell us how you feel about”)
on your products and services will prompt Fans to express themselves, something
which by now, you know, Facebook users love to do.

Know your audience

Know as much as you possibly can about your audience. The
more you know about your audience, the more effectively you can develop content
tailored to their likes. Use everything you have learned about your customers’ offline
and online to gain an understanding of who they are and what they are
interested in. Are they male or female, young or old (or both)? Are they
price-sensitive or fashion-conscious? Do they come in based on need or
instinct?

Mix it up

Mix up the type of content you post on your Facebook page.
Go from humorous one day to heartfelt the next.

The more variety you have in your Facebook posts, the more
entertaining your page will be.

Post ideas

Photos of happy customers- after all they bought from you to
use your masterpiece! Ask them to send you a photo while they are wearing your
jewelry, your jacket, or while their baby wears these amazing knitted shoes.

Humorous jokes and images

Poll your audience for fun or research

Ask fans to fill in the caption of a photo

Invite subscribers

Facebook logos are so ubiquitous they are easily overlooked --
even if the logo is clearly on your Store with the words “follow us!”

People are busy. You did not ask them to like your store and
so it did not occur to them to do it. People may be aware that you are on
Facebook but since you have not asked or provided an incentive for them to engage
with you there they simply have not. Provide an incentive; it does not have to
be expensive to be valuable.

Post new product tips

Pin posts

You can increase engagement of specific posts by pinning
those posts. Pinning a post places it front-and-center (well, actually, top and
left) of your timeline for seven days (or until you unpin it). It’s the first
post people will see, and comes with a little orange flag on the right side of
the post to draw attention to it. Pinning a post is easy. Use this tactic sparingly
to gain attention for your best posts, the ones you know your audience engages most
with, or the ones you want the most people to interact with.

If you want your Fans to be more engaged with your store on
Facebook, the answer is clear: Be more engaging. You need to be the social
media equivalent of the life of the party. Tell funny stories, get personal, be
personable, catch their eye with something visually appealing.

Be as engaged with your Fans as you want them to be engaged
with you. Ask questions, take an interest in what people have to tell you,
share good news, promote a worthy cause and ask your friends to help you in the
endeavor.

Getting more engagement on Facebook isn’t rocket science.
But it is marketing science. Put the social in your social media and use your
inbound marketing expertise and analytics to make it all work better.

Read and comment on this post- Ask questions, we are here to
help you sell more! Share this post with your fellow crafters; share it on your
Facebook, on your Google Plus, your LinkedIn group. This will create a healthy
discussion and the whole community will benefit from new ideas, based on this
post. Other community members may have some more attractive ideas, how you will
find out if you do not discuss with them? Make sure that you receive our
newsletter, and visit our forum. There are many answers there to your
questions.

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Instead of the usual coupons, why not give dad some fun tokens this year.

What you need:

* small round tin (i got mine at michaels - it's about 4" in diameter)
* one sheet of black cardstock
* two or more sheets of white cardstock (depending on how many tokens you make)
* sheet of tokens
* black ink pad
* scissors

Step one: print your tokens, then punch out with 3" punch.

Step two:
trace and cut out white circles a little larger than your tokens. i
used a large soup can. (you can probably use a cricut for this) then
trace and cut out one black circle for the lid of your tin. this needs
to be bigger than your white circle, but not bigger than the lid.

Step three: ink the edges of your white circles.

Step four:
adhere tokens to your white circles. (adhere the black one for your
lid) then have your child(ren) write things they are willing to do for
their dad on the tokens. make sure to have them sign their names too.